PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The rest of their potential starting rotation pitching in 210 career MLB games, the Pirates reportedly add a fifth starter with 221 career starts and 350 games.
The signing of Rich Hill first reported by Jeff Passan for one-year, $8 million. He will turn 43 during Spring Training entering his 19th season in the big leagues.
Hill made 26 starts for the Red Sox last season going 8-7 with a 4.27 ERA, striking out 109 in 124.1 innings with 37 walks. His WHIP was 1.3, his worst since 2014.
The Pirates traded their other left-handed starter, Jose Quintana, to St. Louis at the trade deadline last year. They were looking for a veteran to help with their pitching staff, also adding 30-year-old Vince Velasquez as a free-agent signee.
Hill had a run with the Dodgers between 2016 and 2019 where he went 30-16 with a 3.16 ERA with a 1.079 WHIP. The Massachusetts native was the Angels seventh-round pick in 2001.
In 2017, Hill had potentially a magical night at PNC Park. A perfect game after eight innings in a scoreless game, an error in the ninth allowed the first baserunner. Hill finished the inning with a no-hitter through nine. The lefty came out in the 10th, but Josh Harrison ended the no-hitter and gave Hill a loss. Harrison was the first player to ever break up a no-hitter with a walk-off home run in extra innings.
Now the hill to climb for the lefty is pitching along with being a mentor.
